Working in the auto industry in 2026 is either “a marathon” or “like fracturing a couple ribs” and this episode lives right at that intersection of never ending hustle and pain tolerance. Jimmy Douglas, CEO of Plug, a used EV marketplace built exclusively for electric vehicles and John Possumato CEO of DriveItAway, join the show today to talk about the coming tidal wave of off‑lease EVs (about 1.1 million over the next three years) and why it's the buying opportunity of the decade. With gas prices going off the rails, consumers are finally doing the math: it’s not just about the monthly car payment, it’s about the monthly fuel bill, and EVs are suddenly looking... good? We unpacked why used EVs are the best arbitrage on the planet: often 40–50% depreciated while barely 10% into their useful life, how flexible leases are pulling people with shaky credit and no down payment into reliable transportation, instead of dumping them into 200,000 mile gas beaters, the huge gap between dealers who actively lean into EVs (28‑day turns, healthy margins, happy customers) and those who get one on trade every few months and let it collect dust while sales staff can’t explain regenerative braking and how OEMs like Tesla and others have built powerful pre‑owned pipelines and reconditioning networks behind the scenes. Bottom line: used EVs aren’t a consolation prize. They’re the cheat code for dealers, for consumers, and for an industry trying to survive the most chaotic, opportunity‑packed decade it’s ever seen.
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This episode is sponsored by DriveItAway. If you’re a franchise dealer, you can now launch a profitable (and scalable) micro-lease to own program with zero upfront costs, to transform your unsold inventory into monthly revenue, effortlessly. And if you want to support DriveItAway’s mission directly, check out their stock on the OTC markets, "DWAY." Learn more at driveitway.com/dealers
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Connect with Jimmy on LinkedIn
Connect with John on LinkedIn
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaciccotelli/
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